The Rolling Stones are a British rock band that formed on July 12, 1962 and for many years rivaled The Beatles in popularity. The Rolling Stones, who became an important part of the British Invasion, are considered one of the most influential and successful bands in rock history. The Rolling Stones, who were intended by manager Andrew Loog Oldham to be a "rebellious" alternative to The Beatles, were advertised as "the greatest rock and roll band in the world" as early as 1969 during an American tour and (according to Allmusic) have managed to maintain that status to this day.
The Rolling Stones' musical style, influenced by Robert Johnson, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and Muddy Waters, took on individual characteristics over time; the Jagger-Richards songwriting duo eventually gained worldwide recognition.
The band released twenty-three studio albums and eight live albums in the UK (24 and 9 in the US, respectively). Twenty-one singles were in the top ten of the UK Singles Chart, 8 of them rising to the top of the charts; The Rolling Stones' respective numbers on the Billboard Hot 100 are 28 and 8.
The Rolling Stones have sold over 250 million albums worldwide, 200 million of them in the United States, making them one of the most successful bands in history. In 1989, The Rolling Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2004, they were ranked fourth on the list of "The 50 Greatest Artists of All Time" by the magazine "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame".